Filling tail removal equipment



Dec. 17, 1968 v IL OVAL EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 12, 1967 3 Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR 61124; flffkrz ATTORN E Y6 H. M. TATE 3,416,574

TA REM Dec. 17, 1968 H. M. TATE FILLING TAIL REMOVAL EQUIPMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 12, 1967 INVENTOR 166M544 if. 247-5 ATTOR Dec. 17, was H. M. TATE 3,416,574

FILLING TAIL REMOVAL EQUIPMENT Filed Jan. 12, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR Mir [Z 4 MZbTE BY I I %M,Q4 MM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,416,574 FILLING TAIL REMOVAL EQUIPMENT Howell M. Tate, Chet-aw, S.C., assignor to Burlington Industries, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 12, 1967, Ser. No. 608,799 Claims. (Cl. 139-256) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a Shuttle feeler tip air clearer for removing the filling tail from a spent bobbin in an automatic filling replenishing loom having a reciprocating lay with a shuttle box thereon at the replenishing end thereof, and a temple cutter for cutting tails of bobbins at the selv-age. The shuttle feeler tip has a cut-out forming a hook in the tip end thereof and has connected to it a suction member. Thus, when it is necessary to replace the spent bobbin in the shuttle with a new one, the shuttle feeler tip air clearer removes the tail of the spent bobbin from the shuttle box after the filling tail has been cut from the bobbin by a Stafford-type thread cutter. With subsequent movement of the lay, the shuttle feeler tip air clearer returns to its normal position, holding the tail for several picks until the temple thread cutter cuts the tail at the salvage. The tail is then quickly passed through the suction member mounted on the shuttle filler tip air clearer to a suitable waste receptacle. A flexible hose connects a suction source to the suction member mounted on the shuttle feeler tip and thus positive action is insured in the removal of the filling tail from spent bobbins.

This invention relates ot apparatus for removing the filling tail from spent bobbins and, in particular, to a shuttle feeler tip having mounted thereon suction means for insuring positive action in the removal of the filling tail during the transfer of bobbins.

This invention comprises :an improvement over the filling tail removal equipment described in US Patent 3,175,- 588 granted Mar. 30, 1965 to Duward P. Angle and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. It has been found that in some applications a need for greater positive action is present to insure removal of the filling tail during the transfer of bobbins in automatic filling replenishing looms. A shuttle feeler tip with suction means mounted thereon, a feature of the present invention, provides this greater positive action, thereby significantly reducing the probability of a filling tail being woven into the cloth and thereby causing a minor or major flaw.

Thus it is a primary purpose of this invention to provide improved apparatus for positively removing filling ends from a spent bobbin and thereby reducing the probability of these ends being woven into the cloth.

It is another object to provide in an automatic filling replenishing loom improved means for positively removing filling ends from spent bobbins.

It is a further object of this invention to provide in an automatic filling replenishing loom improved filling tail removal equipment wherein the filling tails respectively associated with the spent and full bobbins are positively removed.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the appended claims in con- 3,416,574 Patented Dec. 17, 1968 junction with the following detailed description and the attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the filling replenishing side of an automatic filling replenishing loom and illustrates such a loom with the filling tail removal equipment of the present invention installed thereon, the figure also schematically showing a source of high pressure compressed air and the arrangement for supplying vacuum to a pair of suction tubes simultaneously;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic plan view of the loom of FIGURE 1 with standard parts of the loom being omitted for purposes of clarity and illustrating tail removal equipment of the present invention acting on an outgoing filling tail of a spent bobbin just before being severed by a temple cutter and released by a Stafford-type cutter;

FIGURE 3 is another simplified schematic view of the loom of FIGURE 1, but illustrating a full bobbin threaded into the shuttle and showing in full lines the incoming tail;

FIGURE 4 is a partial side view of the shuttle feeler tip air clearer aspect of this invention when the feeler tip is in its normal retracted position during normal, loom operation, the horizontal line being indicated at the bottom of the figure;

FIGURE 5 is a side view of the shuttle feeler tip of FIGURE 4 while the tip is in its activated, forward position during the transfer cycle of the automatic filling replenishing loom, the horizontal line being indicated at the bottom of the figure; and

FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 are left side, right side, and top views respectively of the shuttle feeler air clearer.

Referring to the drawings where like character or reference numerals represent like or similar parts, and more particularly to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the loom shown therein is but a fragmentary portion of an automatic filling replenishing loom. The loom 10 is shown and described in more detail in prior US. Patent 2,766,779 granted on Oct. 16, 1956 to William V. Goodhue and Robert E. Morton.

The loom 10 has a loom frame with the usual breast beam 14 on which is mounted a temple 16 for holding the selvage edge of the cloth being woven. The temple 16 is provided with the usual temple thread cutter 18 for severing the ends of the filling along the cloth selvage. The loom is also provided with a reciprocating lay 20 on which is mounted a shuttle box 22 which is depicted in FIGURES 2 and 3.

At the replenishing end of the loom, there is provided for a magazine (not shown) for receiving bobbins fully Wound with filling from a winding mechanism not shown. The magazine sequentially delivers full bobbins B (see FIGURE 2) to the shuttle S in shuttle box 22 at the replenishing end of the loom after the shuttle has a spent bobbin B (see FIGURE 3) ejected therefrom. The transfer mechanism for ejecting the spent bobbin B from shuttle S and for replenishing the shuttle with full bobbin B is described in the before-mentioned Angle Patent 3,175,- 588. A Stafford-type cutter 24 (see FIGURES 2 and 3), such as shown in US. Patent 1,552,388 granted to A. E. Stafford on Sept. 1, 1925, moves in and out of shuttle box 22 in the usual manner. Thus, rotation of a transfer rod or shaft 26 (see FIGURE 1) is initiated by a signal from the usual midget feeler on the opposite side of the loom when such feeler senses that the bobbin in the shuttle is spent and should be replaced when it returns to the replenishing side of the loom. As will be described in more detail hereinafter, the rotation of transfer rod 25 is employed to initiate the filling tail removing action.

The filling tail removal equipment of the present invention includes a first flexible suction hose 28 connected to shuttle feeler tip 30, see FIGURES 2 and 3. With re spect to FIGURES 4-8, the details of the shuttle feeler tip 30, together with the means for connecting flexible suction hose 28, will be described hereinafter. Referring once again to FIGURES 2 and 3, a second suction pipe 32 is fixedly mounted to a stationary frame structure of the loom. Both the suction means associated with shuttle feeler tip 30 and the suction pipe 44 have their mouths facing the lay 20 and shuttle box 22 during the forward movement of the same toward the transfer mechanism. Referring to FIGURE 1, each of the suction means 28 and 32 are provided with venturis, the venturi 34 and hose 28 being shown in FIGURE 1. Hose 28 is clamped to the loom structure by an appropriate bracket 36, see FIGURE 1. Also see FIGURE 1 for the positional relation of the shuttle feeler tip 30 with respect to the loom 10. A high pressure manifold 38 is connected to venturi 34 while high pressure manifold 40 is connected to the venturi for suction pipe 32, the details of the latter connection being shown in the before-mentioned Angle patent. Lint and filling tail discharge pipe or conduit 42 extends from venturi 34 to a suitable waste receptacle not shown. The high pressure manifold 38 is provided with a T fitting 44 having a high pressure conduit 46 connected thereto. The high pressure conduit 46 extends to a source of compressed air 48, which is diagrammatically shown in FIGURE 1. The high pressure conduit 46 is provided with an air operated timer delay pilot valve 50 which is normally closed. A button valve 52 positioned in a by-pass circuit 54 is adapted to supply compressed air from the compressor 48 to the timer delay valve to initiate action of the same and thereby open it for a predetermined length of time. The button valve 52 is actuated by a lever 56 carried on the transfer starting rod 26. Thus when the midget feeler sends a signal to the transfer mechanism to initiate rotation of the transfer starting rod 26, the lever 56 engages the button valve 52 to open the same and allow compressed air to pass through the bypass conduit 54 into the timer delay pilot valve. This causes the pilot valve to initially open and it will remain open for a predetermined length of time. When the pilot valve 50 is opened, compressed air then flows unobstructed through the conduit 46 into the high pressure manifolds 38 and 40. The compressed air then flows through venturi 34 to create a strong suction in suction hose 28. A suction is also created in pipe 32. When lint or tails are removed through the suction hose 28, they pass into the outlet conduit 42 where they are conveyed to a suitable receptacle.

Reference should now be made to FIGURES 4 and 5, FIGURE 4 showing the shuttle feeler tip 30 in its normal retracted position during normal operation of the loom, and FIGURE showing the feeler tip 30 in its actuated forward position, during the transfer cycle. The mechanical linkage for moving arm 59 together shuttle feeler tip element 30 to its forward position in response to the rotation of the transfer rod 26 is well known and a detail description of it or its operation is not deemed necessary. The shuttle feeler tip 30 may be provided with a C-shaped forward and upward facing hook or eye 60 for receiving tail T' and insuring that this tail is stripped free from and does not cling to the lay 20 or the shuttle box 22. However, in accordance with the present invention, the suction hose is appropriately connected to flanged, oval shaped metal tube 58, which is mounted onto shuttle feeler tip 30 so that the above-mentioned stripping action will be more positive. The flanged portion 62 of the tube 58 is positioned adjacent to and extends at least partially into the C-shaped opening of the eye 60. Thus when the shuttle feeler tip 30 extends into the shuttle box 22, as will be the case in FIGURE 5, to perform its usual function of determining whether a shuttle is in the same, it will pick up the outgoing tail T of a spent bobbin and receive thesame in the eye 60. As the shuttle box 22 and the lay 20' move away from the shuttle feeler tip, the outgoing tail is caught on the forward portion of the eye 60 and is held there by the suction present in tube 58 and is thus positively stripped from the lay and shuttle box, this being indicated in FIGURE 3.

Reference should now be made to FIGURES 6, 7 and 8 which respectively show left side, right side, and top views of the shuttle feeler tip 30 together with suction tube 58 associated therewith. As can be seen in FIGURE 8, shuttle feeler tip 30 is provided with a double bend,

which includes a groove 72 into which metal suction tube.

58 is mounted, thereby securing the tube to the feeler tip 30. As can be seen, the flanged mouth 62 of the tube 58 is positioned adjacent to and extends at least partially into the C-shaped opening of the eye 60, thereby providing the positive action required to insure removal of lint and filling ends and thereby significantly reduce the possibility of such lint and ends being woven into the cloth by the loom. As can be seen in FIGURE 6, the ovalshaped aspect of the tube 58 is clearly brought out at the end portion 74 thereof. It is this end portion that flexible hose 28 is attached to. Of course, other means would be available to those having ordinary skill in this art for connecting the flexible hose 28 to the shuttle feeler tip element 30, it being emphasized that this aspect of the invention relates to providing suction means which move with the shuttle feeler tip and thereby provide the requisite positive action, hereinbefore described, necessary for removing lint and filling tails from spent and full bobbins. Hole 76 provides means fixedly connecting element 30 to arm 59 as shown in FIGURES 4 and 5.

The second suction pipe 32, see FIGURE 3, is positioned between temporary incoming tail holding means 64 and the shuttle box 22. The purpose of temporary holding means 64 is to provide means for holding the ends of the incoming tails temporarily until such time that the end of the tail of a transferred full bobbin B is stripped therefrom and cut at the cloth selvage by the temple cutter 18. Thus suction pipe 32 is disposed at the outside end of the shuttle box 22, while the shuttle feeler tip 30 is preferably disposed at the loom side of the shuttle box as can be seen in FIGURES 2 and 3.

A guide wire 70 extends beneath the mouth of suction pipe 32 upwardly in front of the mouth and is suitably secured to a portion of the stationary loom structure. As described in the before-mentioned Angle patent, the purpose of this wire is to guide incoming tails T of full bobbins B as the tails progressively move downwardly with their respective full bobbins until such time as their particular bobbin is transferred into the shuttle to replace a spent bobbin. At that time, the guide wire 70 directs the tail T of the bobbin B inserted into the shuttle directly across the mouth of the suction pipe 32 so that it can be held by suction until its end is stripped from the holding means 64 and its other end is severed at the cloth selvage.

The suction pipe 32 and guide wire 70 together with the shuttle feeler tip 30 and its associated suction hose 38 and tube 58, comprise a complete system of apparatus for removing filling tails, both from spent and full bobbins, and thus it is another aspect of this invention to incorporate in automatic filling replenishing looms, filling tail removal equipment as described above.

The Stafford-type cutter 24 moves into the shuttle box 22 and shuttle and as it is moving into the same, it is opened so as to receive between its jaws the outgoing tail of the spent bobbin just prior to ejection of the same. Then the cutter 24 moves away from the shuttle box and its jaws are closed to sever such tail from the spent bobbin and hold it until the tail is severed at the cloth selvage by the temple cutter 18, at which time it is released by the cutter 24 and removed from the system through suction hose 28. A detailed operation of the Stafford-type cutter 24, together with its cam control features, has been described in detail in the before-mentioned Angle patent.

The operation of the tail removing equipment of the present invention may be briefly described as follows. At the outset of the description of the operation, it will be understood that the outgoing tail T of the spent bobbin B and the incoming tail T of the full bobbin B replacing the spent bobbin in the shuttle S occurs within a few picks of the bobbin B during the transfer cycle and immediately after the transfer cycle, so that it is not necessary to hold one or both of the tails for the long interim between successive transfer cycles. In describing the operation of the present invention, a description of the removal of the outgoing tail T will be given first, it being understood that the operation of the removal of the incoming tail T occurs almost simultaneously therewith. The above preliminary description is given in more detail in the beforementioned Angle patent.

When the midget feeler on the opposite side of the loom indicates that a bobbin is spent and transfer is necessery, it initiates starting of the transfer mechanism by causing the transfer starting rod 26 to rotate. When this rod rotates, the usual transfer action takes place with the spent bobbin B being ejected from the shuttle and a full bobbin B being inserted in its place. At the beginning of the transfer cycle, the rod 26 causes the lever 56 to depress the button valve 52, permitting compressed air to flow through the by-pass conduit 54 into the timer valve 50 to open the same for a predetermined length of time. When the timer valve opens, compressed "air from the compressor flows through the conduit 46 into the manifolds 38 and 40, thereby creating suction simultaneously in both suction hose 28 and suction pipe 32. This suction is continuously applied for a predetermined length of time sutficient for removal of both the outgoing and incoming tails.

With the initiation of the actuation of the transfer mechanism, the Stafford-type cutter 24 moves into the shuttle and engages the outgoing tail T and as it is moved in a reverse direction by further forward movement of the shuttle box 22 and lay engaging the lay bunter (not shown) in the usual manner, it severs the tail T' and holds the same. At the same time that the Stafford-type cutter picks up the tail T in the shuttle box, the shuttle feeler tip 30 enters the shuttle box in the usual way and the outgoing tail T rides over its nose 61 and into the eye 60. Since suction has just been previously applied to hose 28 and tube 58, the outgoing tail T is positively held to the eye 60 by the suction present at the mouth 62 of the tube 58. As the lay 20 with the shuttle box 22 moves away from the transfer mechanism, suction tube 58 holds the outgoing tail T in the eye 60 of the shuttle feeler tip 30 thereby insuring stripping of the tail T' from the shuttle box 22 or the lay 20.

During this time one end of the tail T is held by the Stafford-type cutter 24 while the other end is still connected to the cloth'selvage. Further rearward movement of the Stafford-type cutter 24 causes it to reopen, as described in the above-mentioned Angle patent. This opening of the Stafford-type cutter occurs substantially simultaneously with the cutting of the outgoing tail T by the temple cutter 18 at the cloth selvage. As soon as this occurs, the tail T is released at both of its ends and is withdrawn through the eye 60 into the mouth 62 of the suction tube 58 to be deposited in a suitable waste receptacle.

Having described the removal of the filling tail from the spent bobbin, a brief description of the removal of the filling tail from the newly inserted full bobbin will now be given. The full bobbin is inserted into the shuttle S as soon as the spent bobbin B has been ejected. The incoming tail T of the bobbin B which has been held by temporarily holding means 64 may be clamped by conventional means so that tension is placed on the tail T 6 to insure threading of the tail through the eye E of the shuttle S. The shuttle S then makes picks across the lay 20 through the shed and back again into the shuttle box 22. During this time, the tail T has moved down the guide wire 70 to a position across the mouth of suction pipe 32 and the above-mentioned clamping means has released the tail. During the movement of the shuttle box 22 forward toward the transfer mechanism, the incoming tail T is stripped from temporary holding means 64 by suitable, conventional means not shown. The incoming tail T is then held at the mouth of suction pipe 32 until the temple cutter 18 cuts the same at the cloth selvage. The tail is then immediately drawn into suction pipe 44 and deposited in an appropriate receptacle.

FIGURES 2 and 3 merely illustrate the general arrangement of the filling tail removal equipment of the present invention with respect to the lay 20 and shuttle box 22. There is no attempt to arrange the exact position of the lay and shuttle box with respect to the filling tail removal equipment at any particular moment as the above-description clearly describes such operation. It should be noted, however, that the entire removal of the trailing tail T occurs within the last one to three picks of the full bobbin B which has replaced the spent bobbin B. Also, it will be understood that the removal of the incoming tail T of the full bobbin B occurs within at least one to three picks of the shuttle with the bobbin B so that the removal of both of the tails T and T 'occurs for all practical purposes simultaneously, with the filling tail of the incoming bobbin being removed immediately after the filling tail of the spent bobbin is removed.

The suction which is applied to hose 28 and pipe 34 is maintained constant from the time of initiation of the transfer cycle until at least several picks of the shuttle S are made with the full bobbin B so that there is positive control over both of the tails T and T at all times during the removal operation.

Numerous modifications of the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing disclosure. During such a reading, it will be evident that this invention has provided unique equipment for accomplishing the objects and advantages herein stated. Still other objects and advantages, and even further modifications will be apparent from this disclosure. It is to be understood, however, that the foregoing disclosure is to be considered exemplary and not limitative, the scope of the invention being defined by the following claims:

What is claimed is:

1. In an automatic filling replenishing loom having a shuttle box thereon at the replenishing end thereof, the improvement comprising:

a shuttle feeler tip for sensing the presence of a shuttle in a shuttle box, said shuttle feeler tip having a C-shaped opening for accepting the filling tail of a spent bobbin, I

a suction member attached to said shuttle feeler tip and adapted for movement therewith, said suction member having a mouth portion which at least partially extends into said opening,

means for generating and applying suction to said suction member,

means for moving said shuttle feeler tip into said shuttle box so that the filling tail of a spent bobbin is positively engaged and held by said suction member, and

means for cutting said filling tail at the salvage and from the spent bobbin whereby said filling tail is removed to a suitable receptable through said suction member.

2. The improvement of claim 1 where the suction member includes a tube connected to the shuttle feeler tip of the mouth of said tube being disposed adjacent said opening.

3. The improvement of claim 2 where the suction member includes a flexible hose connected between the suction generating means and the end of said tube opposite from its mouth.

4. The improvement of claim 3 where said shuttle feeler tip has a double bend therein including a groove in the bend for receiving and securing said tube to said shuttle feeler tip.

5. The improvement of claim 4 where said tube is made of metal and has an ovel shape.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,456 6/1940 Turner 139--256.1

8 10/1956 Good Hue et a1. 139-256.1 3/1965 Angle 139-256.1 2/1966 Bulcock 139-256 FOREIGN REFERENCES 2/ 1958 Great Britain. 12/1953 Italy.

4/ 1966 France.

US. Cl. X.R. 

